Pneumatic distributing system



Dec. 29, 1964 A. BREWIN ETAL 3, 6

PNEUMATIC DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM Filed June 3, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l 9 A. IBREWIN ETAL 3, 3

PNEUMATIC DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM Filed .June 5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 Ji I2 10/ 77 3 Dec. 29, 1964 A. BREWIN ETAL 3,163,470

PNEUMATIC DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM Filed June 3, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Iatent Ofifice 3,163,470 Patented Dec. 29., 1964 distributing conduit, a one-way valve in each of said delivery conduits permitting the through-flow of air only in the downstream direction towards the delivery end, an

air nozzle in or associated with each of said delivery conduit s and disposed to discharge a compressed air impulse down this conduit in the downstream direction, and means for selectively operating said nozzles.

The principle of use of this system is that the articles are located in turn in or on the holder and, by selection and operation of the appropriate nozzle, are despatched to the chosen destination by the resultant air impulse, which is so-directed as to produce the effect that the article is first drawn by suction from the holder into the main distributing conduit and is then diverted down the selected delivery conduit. The system is further so devised that the valve in the delivery conduit will be opened for the passage of the article whilst the valves controlling all the other delivery conduits will be held closed bythe suction ellect engendered.

A system of the kind according to this invention has many and various uses, for example for sorting knitted stockings from an examining site into sets of diiferent sizes 01' different qualities. Thus, for example, stockings arriving at an examining point from a bank of machines in a collecting system such as that describedin our British application No. 22,018/ 62 will ofiten be of difierent qualities and different sizes, and will be received at the examining point in random order in view 'of the different time cycles in the various knitting machines. The distribution system according to this invention will enable the articles to be taken, in the order received, and sent to the appropriate destinations through the single, and notably not voluminous, conduit system of the present invention without difiiculty and under simple press-button or like control.

To this end, in accordance with a feature of the present invention, there will advantageously be located at the operator's station a set of buttons, treadles, keys, or other simple selector mechanism, by which the operator can select the required blower nozzle which is to be operated, i.e. the delivery conduit along which the work is to be sent from the holder. Alternatively the destination can be selected automatically on the basis of some fixed programme, where the articles arrive in known order.

The diversion of the article from the main distributing conduit into the chosen delivery conduit can be elfected by. suction or by a positive air blow-against the travelling article. In both cases the effective air impulse from the chosen nozzle will induce the suction of the main distributing conduit required to draw oil the article from the holder.

In the first of these two instances, the nozzle can be arranged in a branch opening atan inclined angle into the delivery conduit either downstream or upstream of the one-way valve (which is advantageously of the simple flap type described in our co-pending British application No. 22,-02'1/62).

In the second instance the nozzle will preferably be disposed opposite the entrance to the respective delivery conduit and directed to blow into the latter,

In the first instance, relying on the suction effect to eflect the diversion from the main distributing conduit into the delivery conduit, it will be advantageous to arrange that the diversion takes place without too abrupt a change of direction, since otherwise the momentum of the article in passing down the main conduit might tend to carry it past the diversion. Various means may be used to combat this tendency. In the first of these, the delivery conduits are disposed at an obtuse angle to the main conduit at the junction. Secondly the main distributing conduit may be provided at a position remote from the holder and beyond the junctions with the delivery conduits with an air admission valve-which, in effect, will provide a secondary flow of air into the main distributing conduit opposing air flow downstream along it beyond the diversion.

In the second instancethis diflicult-y is, of course, overcome where there is a direct blast into the mouth of the delivery conduit and the article is positively and inevitably directed into the latter.

The article holder referred to above can take many examined, and we shall describe below aspecific case of this character in which the suction applied in the main distributing conduit, is also used to reverse the stocking.

Two embodiments of the invention are illustrated 'by Way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a part of a hose-distributing system in a first embodiment,

FIGURE 2 is a cross section on the line IIII of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a diagrammatic illustration of a modi fied arrangement.

The systemillustrated by FIGURES 1 and 2 is one in which the article holder is a form on which stockings are examined and whence they are automatically conveyed, and at the same time reversed, to any one of a number of destinations, four in the chosen case, selected by an operator.

As shown in these drawings, use is made of a main frame 1 which supports the pneumatic assemblies of the system and, at one side at a height convenient to a seated operator, has a projecting bracket 2 carrying a boss 3 with an examining form 4 Which is secured to a plate 5 rotatably mounted in the boss 3. This form 4 is of fiat longitudinally-tapered shape, as indicated inFIGURE l,

run 10 of the main distributing conduit which connects up in turn with the four pneumatic assemblies of the system.

Each of these assemblies comprises a tubular T fitting of which the cross limb forms asectionof the main conduit run 10 and the stem 12 is coupled to the spigot of a one-way flap valve 13 of the form described in our co-pending British Application No. 22,021/62. The main housing of this valve is of the conically tapered form there described and has, at its larger end, a simple hinged flap 14 which is adapted to open in response to air pressure applied thereto in the direction from the main conduit run 10 and to close under gravity. At its other and narrower end the housing of valve 13 is connected to a pipe 16 which leads to the ultimate destination served by the tubular stem 12 concerned.

Articles passing down the conduit run 10 are diverted to a chosen destination by the air nozzle 17 associated with stem 12 concerned, i.e. the branch tube of' the delivery conduit in question, a nozzle 12 being mounted at the main conduit end of each tube 12.

It is arranged that the nozzle 17, on operation, shall inject an air impulse axially through the tube 12, as indicated by the arrow A in FIGURE 2, thereby inducing a suction in the section of the main distributing conduit between this point and duct 6 in the form 4. This draws in a stocking which has been mounted for examination on the form 4, through the end opening 11 of the latter, so simultaneously reversing it. On reaching the junction with the branch tube concerned, the travelling stocking is met by the full force of the compressed air impulse from the corresponding nozzle 17 and is propelled past the corresponding valve flap 14, itself opened .by the air jet, and down the conduit 16 to the required destination.

The air impulse at nozzle 17 is derived from a main air line 18 which is connected to a convenient source of compressed air, e.g. a compressor, or the service line usually available in a factory. It will be observed from FIGURE l that this line 18 is branched through conduits 19 to the four valves 20, each of which is associated with an air nozzle 17 dedicated to one of the delivery conduits 12-16.

Each valve 20 is of the plunger type, and utilizes a piston, of known form, which is itself movable under an air impulse into the valve opening position. This impulse is also derived from the main air line 18 through further branches 21 from the latter. Each branch 21 itself in corporates a valve 22 under the control of a solenoid 23, and this solenoid is operable by closure of a switch contact on depression of a corresponding button 24 mounted on a panel 25 at the upper part of the frame 1.

Hence, in practice, an operator will draw a stocking over the form 4 and examine it for flaws and gauge, the form being rotatable for this purpose. The operator then presses the button 24 appropriate to the required destination, and this operates the corresponding solenoid 23, the relevant valve 22, and the chosen nozzle 17 to cause the stocking to be pulled through the form and reversed, and despatched to'the chosen destination.

In the embodiment described, a valve 13 is opened by air pressure applied to its flap 14 from the upstream side. FIGURE 3 diagrammatically illustrates an alternative arrangement in which the opening of the valve flap is effected by an air impulse applied at the downstream side. In this case the main distributing conduit is denoted 26 and, in the arrangement chosen, this forms the spine of a system from which the delivery conduits 27 branch at inclined angles. Each of these conduits 27 incorporates a one-way flap valve 28 of the form previously referred to, but it will be noted that the compressed air nozzles able, as before, by a corresponding push button 31 on a control panel 32. Compressed air is again derived from a main compressed air line 33 which is branched to the various valves 30. I

In this'case the holder is represented by a funnel 3 1 into which the stockings are simply dropped and which, at its lower end, has an orifice 35 communicating with the main distributing conduit 26. When it is desired to send off a stocking to a particular destination, the operator merely has to press the appropriate button 31 when the air impulse from the chosen nozzle 29 will apply a suction to the upstream part of the branch conduit concerned which will be propagated through the main conduit 26 to the funnel 34, so drawing the stocking down into and along this conduit 26 and into the delivery conduit 27 concerned. It is observed that the various delivery conduits are at an obtuse angle to the main conduit 26 to ensure a smooth How of the article into the latter. The momentum of an article travelling in a, straight line along the main distributing conduit 26 might tend to resist deflection by suction into the appropriate delivery conduit 27. To combat any tendency of this sort, the conduit 26 is provided at the outer end with an air admission valve 36 which will, in effect, provide a second and moderate flow of air into the conduit, beyond the chosen delivery conduit. This valve is advantageously. such as to provide for a variable degree of opening and may be adjusted to different degrees to suit different thicknesses of work, i.e. to have more effect in the case of thicker and heavier articles than in the case of those acquiring smaller momentum in their travel.

Finally, it will be understood that in both embodiments described, the various'joints, corners and conduits in this system will preferably be smooth-surfaced and rounded where necessary, so as to avoid snagging or other damage to passing work, and to avoid any uneven air flow which could interfere with the travel of the work and the operation of the system. It is found very convenient if the various parts are fabricated of a plastics material, an acrylic plastic being particularly suitable as it is transparent and allow. the progress of the work at all times to be inspected.

We claim:

1. A system for the pneumatic despatch of light weight articles to arbitrarily-chosen destinations comprising an article holder, with an evacuation opening, a main distributing conduit communicating with said opening, a plurality of delivery conduits branched from said distributing conduit, a one-way valve ineach of said delivery conduits, an air nozzle associated with each of said delivery conduits and disposed to discharge a compressed air impulse down this conduit in the direction of the delivery end thereof, and means for selectively operating said air nozzles. v

2. A system for the pneumatic despat'ch of light weight articles to arbitrarily-chosen destinations comprising an article holder, with an evacuation opening, a main distributing conduit communicating Wih said opening, a plu- -rality of delivery conduits each branched at an obtuse angle from said distributing conduit, a one-way valve in each of said. delivery conduits, secondary branches communicatin'g with each of said delivery conduits at'an inclined angle, an air nozzle in each of said secondary branches, and means for selectively operating said air nozzles.

3. A system as claimed in claim 2, in which the main distributing conduit is provided at a position remote from the holder and beyond its junctions with the delivery conduits with a regulatable air admission valve.

4. A system for the pneumatic despatch of light weight articles to arbitrarily-chosen destinations comprising an article holder, with an evacuation opening, a main distributing conduit communicating with said opening, a plurality of delivery conduits branched from said destributing conduit, a one-way valve in each of said delivery conduits, an air nozzle in saidmain distributing conduit opposite the entrance of each delivery conduit, and remote means for selective and individual operation of said air nozzles.

5. A system for the pneumatic, despatch of light weight articles to arbitrarily-chosen destinations comprising an article holder, with an evacuation opening, a main distributing conduit communicating with said opening, a plurality of delivery conduits branched from said distributing conduit, a one-way valve in each of said delivery conduits, an air nozzle associated with each of said delivery conduits and disposed to discharge a compressed air impulse down this conduit in the direction of the delivery end thereof, a compressed air line connected through a branch feed line to each of said nozzles, a shut-off valve in each said branch feed line, a solenoid valve unit controlling each said shut-off valve, and a remotely-disposed press-button switch controlling each solenoid valve unit.

6. A system for the pneumatic despatch of light weight articles to arbitrarily-chosen destinations comprising a hose-examining form having a bore therethrough open" at both ends, a main distributing conduit communicating with one end of said bore, a plurality of delivery conduits branched from said distributing conduit, a one-Way valve in each of said delivery conduits, an air nozzle associated with each of said delivery conduits and disposed to discharge a compressed air impulse down this conduit in the direction of the delivery end thereof, and means for selectively operating said air nozzles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,106,427 Mortimer Oct. 8, 1963 

1. A SYSTEM FOR THE PNEUMATIC DESPATCH OF LIGHT WEIGHT ARTICLES TO ARBITRAILY-CHOSEN DESTINATIONS COMPRISING AN ARTICLE HOLDER, WITH AN EVACUATION OPENING, A MAIN DISTRIBUTING CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID OPENING, A PLURALITY OF DELIVERY CONDUITS BRANCHED FROM SAID DISTRIBUTING CONDUIT, A ONE-WAY VALVE IN EACH OF SAID DELIVERY CONDUITS, AN AIR NOZZLE ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID DELIVERY CONDUITS AND DISPOSED TO DISCHARGE A COMPRESSED AIR IMPLUSE DOWN THIS CONDUIT IN THE DIRECTION TO THE DELIVERY END THEREOF, AND MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY OPERATING SAID AIR NOZZLES. 